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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · plane · last · band · key · season · hand · deal

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. last — final
  3. key — for a lock
  4. plane — a tool
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. deal — to handle
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. last — to go on
  13. band — a ring
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bulb — for light
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. last — finally
  18. season — of the year
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. band — a music group
  21. key — the most important part
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bulb — for light
  24. key — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com